Tag Archives: Los Angeles

March 14, 2013 · 5:21 AM

Koch Brothers eye L.A. Times, other Tribune newspapers: sources

David Koch, executive vice president of Koch Industries, applauds during an Economic Club of New York event in New York, December 10, 2012. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Good luck with that, fellas…

Reuters

Charles and David Koch, two of the world’s richest men, are interested in Tribune’s newspaper assets, which include the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune, according to sources familiar with situation.

Earlier on Tuesday, L.A. Weekly reported that the Koch brothers were rumored to be interested in either all of the Tribune company, which includes 23 TV stations and national cable network WGN American, or the Tribune newspapers. The report also cited “another rumor” from a Los Angeles Times editorial board member that the Koch brothers are helping U-T San Diego newspaper owner Doug Manchester finance a bid.

According to one of the Reuters sources, the Koch brothers are not interested in Tribune’s other assets – which include the broadcast TV stations. Tribune, based in Chicago, owns eight major dailies, including The Baltimore Sun and Hartford Courant.

Manchester said in statement: “We are looking forward to opportunities to employ our cross-media strategy in other markets. We have no partnership with Koch Industries or with the Koch brothers, and we don’t anticipate any such arrangement. If we were to become involved in the sale of the Tribune Company or any other media assets, we would be glad to comment at the appropriate time.”

Melissa Cohlmia, a spokeswoman for Koch Companies Public Sector, said in a statement: “As an entrepreneurial company with 60,000 employees around the world, we are constantly exploring profitable opportunities in many industries and sectors.

“So, it is natural that our name would come up in connection with this rumor. We respect the independence of the journalistic institutions referenced in today’s news stories, but it is our long-standing policy not to comment on deals or rumors of deals we may or may not be exploring.”

Tribune spokesman Gary Weitman said the company does not comment on speculation.

The Koch Brothers – worth $34 billion, making them the world’s sixth-richest men, according to Forbes magazine – would have more than enough room to make a bid for all of Tribune’s newspapers.

Tribune’s newspapers are profitable and estimated to be worth $623 million, according to a report by Lazard, its financial adviser.

The brothers are the owners of Koch Industries, a sprawling conglomerate whose holdings include crude oil and natural gas pipelines, paper products like Dixie Cups and Angel Soft toilet tissue, and cattle ranches.

They are known for their conservative views and on the Koch Industries website explain that economic freedom means that “government is kept small and limited to those activities that contribute to societal well-being, rather than undermine it.”

Other notable names such as Warren Buffett and News Corp’s Rupert Murdoch have surfaced as possible buyers for some of Tribune’s dailies. Aaron Kushner, the owner of the Orange County Register near Los Angeles, said he was “prepared to take a serious look” at Tribune’s newspapers in December.

The newspaper industry is once again becoming a hive of activity as several big city papers hit the auction block while other smaller newspapers have been snapped up by the likes of Buffett.

Tribune is the latest example of a company exploring a sale of its newspapers. The New York Times announced in February it was putting The Boston Globe and other properties in New England up for sale.

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February 14, 2013 · 8:36 AM

Christopher Dorner: cabin fire was not intentional, say police

I’ve been hesitant to write about this story due to some unresolved ambivalence on my part.

On one hand, I recognize completely that Christopher Dorner coldly murdered four people.  There is absolutely no justification for such actions by a sane and rational human being.  The question remains, however, was he sane and rational?  It seems to me Dorner had some serious psychological issues…yet…there was no talk of his psychological state.  Only that a big black ex-Navy sniper was running wild killing police officers.

This tweet summed it all up for me:

The Guardian

Sheriff’s office confirms pyrotechnic teargas canisters were launched into cabin but ‘we didn’t intend to burn it down’

Police have confirmed they started the blaze that engulfed Chris Dorner’s cabin but said the use of pyrotechnic canisters had not been intended to cause a fire.

“It was not on purpose. We didn’t intentionally burn down that cabin to get Mr Dorner out,” John McMahon, a spokesperson for San Bernardino sheriff’s department, told a news conference on Wednesday night.

The admission followed speculation and controversy over whether authorities started the blaze to trap and kill a fugitive who had killed four people and terrorised police in a bloody vendetta against California‘s law enforcers.

Forensic scientists have not yet positively identified the human remains recovered from the cabin following Tuesday’s siege but McMahon said his department had little doubt they belonged to Dorner, 33, a former LAPD officer. “We believe that this investigation is over at this point.”

Link to video: Christopher Dorner: ‘police discuss burn plan’ – audio

 

The LAPD stood down from high alert and resumed regular policing, marking the end of a week-long drama of shootouts, chases and the biggest US manhunt in living memory.

Riverside police buried officer Michael Crain, 34, a father of two gunned down last week, to the accompaniment of bagpipes after a funeral cortege was led by police motorcycles.

The San Bernardino sheriff’s department named the deputy who died in Tuesday’s siege as Jeremiah MacKay, 35, a married veteran of the force with a seven-year-old daughter and four-month-old son.

Witnesses filled in details of Dorner’s dramatic bid to escape the mountains of San Bernardino, where he had holed up for five days, but key questions were left unanswered.

A sheriff’s department spokesman declined to explain how deputies missed Dorner while he hid apparently for five days in a cabin five minutes’ walk from the command centre that was used to direct a dragnet of 200 officers.

In desperation authorities drummed up a $1m reward for information leading to his capture, thought to be the largest bounty in California’s history.

The search around the mountains east of LA had been winding down on Tuesday when two housekeepers entered the cabin. Dorner tied them up and made off in a stolen purple Nissan. One of the housekeepers freed herself and alerted authorities.

Fish and wildlife department officers intercepted the vehicle and gave chase. Dorner shot and hit their vehicle but caused no injuries. He crashed, then commandeered a silver Dodge Ram pick-up belonging to Angelus Oaks resident Rick Heltebrake. Dorner pointed a rifle at Heltebrake’s head and ordered him out.

“I did not feel like he wanted to hurt me,” said the local camp ranger. “It was clear I wasn’t part of his agenda and there were other people down the road that were part of his agenda. Unfortunately he found them and now we have one less sheriff’s deputy in San Bernardino.”

Dorner briefly shook off his pursuers by overtaking two school buses and leaving the highway, said Patrick Foy, a spokesman with the fish and wildlife department, but other units found him after he again crashed. He fled on foot to the nearest rental cabin and was swiftly surrounded.

Swat teams lobbed traditional teargas canisters into the cabin but as Dorner kept firing they switched to pyrotechnic ones. “It does generate a lot of heat. We introduced those canisters into the residence and a fire erupted,” said McMahon. Such devices were called burners, he said.

The spokesman’s insistence that the blaze was not intentional appeared to be put in question by an exchange between deputies at the scene during the scene. The exchange was heard on a police scanner and published by the journalist Max Blumenthal.

“We’re gonna go ahead with the plan with the burner. Like we talked about,” said one deputy. Minutes later another deputy’s voice said: “The burner’s deployed and we have a fire.” Social media buzzed with claims that police had sought to burn Dorner alive.

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February 10, 2013 · 4:09 PM

10 things you need to know today: February 10, 2013

Chinese New Year celebrations take place in London on Feb. 10.

The Week

The first lady attends a Chicago teen’s funeral, the world celebrates Chinese New Year, and more in our roundup of the stories that are making news and driving opinion

1. NORTHEAST DIGS OUT AFTER BIG WINTER STORM
Utility workers braved temperatures in the teens on Saturday and Sunday to restore power to some 650,000 people in the Northeast who lost electricity during Winter Storm Nemo. Road crews continue to clear snow and ice from streets and sidewalks. More than three feet of snow fell in parts of Connecticut, and more than two feet accumulated on Long Island and in Massachusetts, where the storm caused coastal flooding that forced evacuations of some communities. Airlines were also trying to resume operation on Sunday after canceling some 5,000 flights since Friday. [New York Times]
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2. LAPD TO REOPEN CASE ON FIRING OF SUSPECTED COP-KILLER ON THE LAM
As the massive search for suspected cop-killer Christopher Dorner continues, the Los Angeles Police Department announced that it is reopening the investigation into why Dorner, a former LAPD officer, was fired from the force. His firing is apparently what sparked his alleged campaign of revenge that has left three people dead, including a Riverside police officer. Police Chief Charlie Beck said he was reopening the investigation “not to appease a murderer” but to assure the public that his department is fair and transparent. Dorner was stripped of his badge in 2009 after a police disciplinary board found him guilty of making false statements against his training officer, Teresa Evans, who Dorner said kicked a mentally ill man during an arrest in 2007. [Los Angeles Times]
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3. NEW U.S. COMMANDER TAKES OVER IN AFGHANISTAN
U.S. Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford has taken over command of coalition forces in Afghanistan, after Gen. John Allen handed over the baton on Sunday. Allen expressed optimism about the country’s future adding that “the big benchmark for all of us is going to be the election.” Elections are scheduled for next year, when American presence will be significantly reduced. The last elections, held in 2009, were marred by violence and allegations of corruption. [USA Today]
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4. GOOGLE CHAIRMAN TO SELL PART OF HIS STAKE
Google Chairman Eric Schmidt is selling about 42 percent of his stake in the company, which could potentially net him $2.5 billion. The plan allows Schmidt to spread trades out over a period of one year to reduce the market impact. A Google spokeswoman would not comment on why Schmidt is selling the shares at this time. [Reuters]
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5. MICHELLE OBAMA ATTENDS FUNERAL OF SLAIN CHICAGO TEEN
First Lady Michelle Obama attended the Saturday funeral of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton in Chicago to mourn the teen who was shot and killed one week after performing with her majorette team at President Obama’s second inauguration. The first lady, who met privately with Pendleton’s family and about 30 of her classmates, did not speak at the funeral, which lasted four hours, and remembered the young woman who aspired to attend Harvard and study pharmacology or journalism. [Washington Post]
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6. BOEING COMPLETES TEST FLIGHT
Boeing completed what it called an “uneventful” test flight of its 787 Dreamliner, the first flight since the planes were grounded more than three weeks ago after a series of battery-related problems. The purpose of the test was to gather detailed information on the plane’s lithium-ion batteries. The grounding of the Dreamliners has cost airlines tens of millions of dollars. [Reuters]
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7. WORLD CELEBRATES LUNAR NEW YEAR 
Revelers in Beijing marked the start of the Lunar New Year on Sunday with a more muted fireworks barrage than previous years because of government appeals to reduce the smoky celebrations after air pollution rose to near catastrophic levels over recent weeks. The holiday is also being celebrated in Vietnamese and Korean communities, as well as in North Korea’s capital Pyongyang. Setting off fireworks to celebrate renewal and ward off evil spirits is a traditional part of the celebration that marks China’s most important family holiday. [Associated Press]
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8. CURIOSITY TAKES HISTORIC DRILL SAMPLE
NASA’s Curiosity rover has drilled deep enough into a Mars rock to obtain a powdered sample for analysis. The grey material from the test hole, which is 16 mm wide and 20 mm deep, will be inspected before making its way to the robot’s onboard labs. Never before has the interior of a rock on another planet been probed in such a way. Drilling is crucial to the Mars mission as Curiosity is investigating whether past environments at this location could ever have supported life. [BBC]
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9. FLU SEASON NEARING END
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the flu season should be over in most of the country within two to three weeks, except in California, where the flu arrived later. Flu season hit the East in late December, almost a month earlier than usual, according to the CDC. The major flu strain circulating in the United States this season, H3N2, also appears to be causing more severe illness, especially in the elderly. [USA Today]
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10. BIG PERFORMANCES COMING AT GRAMMY AWARDS
Justin Timberlake, who will perform at Sunday evening’s Grammys, is one the most highly anticipated acts at the awards ceremony. Timberlake, who’s promoting an upcoming album, has not performed at the show in four years. The ceremony will open at 8 PM ET with a performance by Taylor Swift, and sprinkled throughout the night will be performances by Bruno Mars, Sting, and Rihanna, The Black Keys, Fun., Kelly Clarkson, and more. [Grammy.com]

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February 8, 2013 · 9:18 AM

Another day in the (gun crazy) U.S.A.

Gun Crazy Nation

Daily Kos is running a daily list on gun violence in America.  Following, is the latest installment…

Daily Kos

February 7, 2013 edition

Forest Meadows, Calif. — A 54-year-old man shot and killed his 17-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter with a Glock 9mm handgun before turning the weapon on himself late last week.

Plymouth, Wis. — A 59-year-old woman found dead in a barn about 8:30 a.m. yesterday was apparently shot by a male neighbor who later shot and wounded himself. He was listed in critical condition.

Los Angeles, Calif. — A former Los Angeles police officer wanted for the murder of a man and woman last Sunday has allegedly shot and killed a Riverside, Calif. police officer and wounded police officers from Riverside and Los Angeles. A manhunt is underway.

O’Fallon, Mo. — A 55-year-old woman was found dead at a home about 5:15 p.m. Tuesday. She had been shot multiple times in the head. Police are looking for her 63-year-old ex-boyfriend.

Jacksonville, Fla. — A 46-year-old man was fatally shot while driving on a city street in what might have been a case of road rage. He was found in the driver’s seat of a crashed pickup about 7:50 p.m. Police are looking for a vehicle seen following the man.

Sandpoint, Idaho — A confrontation of some sort about 6 p.m. Wednesday has left a 36-year-old man fatally shot and a 35-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his arm. No word on the condition of the wounded man.

Granite Falls, N.C. — A shooting about 6:30 p.m. today has left one person dead. Police are questioning a person of interest.

Houston, Tex. — A man found shot and lying on the ground outside an apartment complex about midnight last night later died at a hospital. He had been shot several times.

Cleveland, Oh. — A 22-year-old man was shot and killed about 8:40 p.m. yesterday. He had been shot several times

Philadelphia, Penn. — A 23-year-old man is dead after he was shot at least once in the chest in a second-floor apartment Wednesday night.

Washington, D.C. — A security guard was shot when a 28-year-old man armed with a 9 mm handgun entered the headquarters of a lobbying group and began verbally expressing opposition to the organization’s policies. The guard and others nearby managed to subdue the intruder until police arrived. He was listed in stable condition.

Plainfield, Ind. — A man was shot at an apartment complex Wednesday night. Police later pulled over a car matching the description of a vehicle spotted leaving the scene. No word on the victim’s condition.

New Orleans, La. — A man was shot multiple times around 11 a.m. yesterday.
No report on the man’s condition.

Buena Vista Township, Mich. — A 5-year-old boy and his 46-year-old grandfather were shot during a robbery about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. A man approached the grandfather and his wife in the driveway of a home and demanded money before opening fire, striking the grandfather. One of the bullets went through a wall of the house and struck the boy in the leg. The boy was hospitalized. The grandfather was treated at a hospital and released.

Camarillo, Calif. — A 22-year-old male was injured by gunfire. He was treated and released from a local hospital.

Little Rock, Ark. — One person was reported shot at an apartment complex today. Police are searching for a suspect. No other details are available.

Miami, Fla. — A robber yanked a gold chain off the neck of an 82-year-old man sitting in his front yard yesterday morning before shooting him in the leg and fleeing. No word on the victim’s condition.

Chicago, Ill. — A 23-year-old man was shot in the back of his thigh about 6:55 p.m. yesterday. He had exchanged words with three others when one of the three opened fire with a handgun. The victim was in stable condition.

Chicago, Ill. — A 22-year-old man was shot in the arm about 1:30 p.m. yesterday. No word on his condition.

Orlando, Fla. — Two people were shot and wounded after someone opened fire and sprayed their vehicle as they drove away from a nightclub about 4:50 a.m. this morning. The injuries were not considered life-threatening.

Tempe, Ariz. — Five schools were put on lockdown while police searched for a suspect who fired shots at a car on the freeway in an apparent road-rage incident about 1:20 p.m. today. Police have one person in custody and are looking for another.

Charlotte, N.C. — A 15-year-old high school student was arrested for bringing a loaded handgun to school in his backpack.

Today’s sources: Chicago Tribune, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Detroit Free Press, Florida Times-Union, Houston Chronicle, KABC – TV Los Angeles, KNXV-TV Phoenix, Orlando Sentinel, Philadelphia Inquirer, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Times- Picayune, Washington Post, WISH-TV Indianapolis, WSVN-TV Miami

Addendum for February 7, 2013If you want to reduce this daily slaughter, please call, write, email, or FAX your representatives in Washington, D.C. and tell them to support common sense gun controls.

You can get contact information here:

http://www.contactingthecongress.org

 

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· 5:48 AM

Ex-cop and murder suspect Christopher Dorner references journalists in manifesto

It will be interesting to see how this saga plays out.

Yes, he’s a very bad guy who shot innocent people and should be held accountable.  Yet, in reading about this guy I just wonder how he made it on the LAPD force to begin with.

He sounds like he is at least….mentally unstable.

Politico

Fugitive ex-cop Christopher Dorner — wanted in connection with a deadly shooting rampage in Southern California — wrote a rambling manifesto referencing a number of TV hosts and journalists.

In the document attributed to Dorner, the man accused of killing three people promises to “bring unconventional and asymmetrical warfare to those in LAPD uniform whether on or off duty” and also praises several journalists:

Chris Matthews, Joe Scarborough, Pat Harvey, Brian Williams, Soledad Obrien, Wolf Blitzer, Meredith Viera, Tavis Smiley, and Anderson Cooper, keep up the great work and follow Cronkite’s lead. I hold many of you in the same regard as Tom Brokaw and the late Peter Jennings. Cooper, stop nagging and berating your guest, they’re your (guest). Mr. Scarborough, we met at McGuire’s pub in P-cola in 2002 when I was stationed there. It was an honor conversing with you about politics, family, and life.

Willie Geist, you’re a talented and charismatic journalist. Stop with all the talk show shenanigans and get back to your core of reporting. Your future is brighter than most.

Revoke the citizenship of Fareed Zakaria and deport him. I’ve never heard a positive word about America or its interest from his mouth, ever. On the same day, give Piers Morgan an indefinite resident alien and Visa card.

Dorner also picks out dozens of celebrities and other figures in the document. The LAPD believes Dorner wrote the manifesto because of details in it that only he would know, The Associated Press reported on Thursday. A copy of the manifesto can be found at KTTV-Fox 11 News, the Fox owned-and-operated television station in Los Angeles.

And on Thursday, CNN reported that Dorner also sent a package to CNN’s Anderson Cooper. Inside the parcel was a hand labeled DVD with a post-it note reading in part “I never lie,” and a souvenir LAPD medallion shot through with bullet holes. The package arrived Feb. 1, but Cooper said it was not opened by him and he first learned of it today.

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January 2, 2013 · 11:57 AM

10 things you need to know today: January 2, 2013

I had some internet connectivity problems over the holidays and had to wait until today for my provider’s tech to come out and resolve it.  Once again, Happy New Year everyone.

The Week

The House passes the fiscal-cliff deal, Sandy Hook students return to class, and more in our roundup of the stories that are making news and driving opinion

1. HOUSE PASSES FISCAL-CLIFF DEAL
In a dramatic conclusion of the fiscal-cliff showdown, the House approved a deal late Tuesday canceling tax increases for the vast majority of Americans and pushing off $100 billion in potentially damaging spending cuts for two months. The bill now goes to President Obama for his signature, ending the threat of potentially recession-inducing spending cuts and tax hikes before financial markets opened for the first day of trading in the new year. House Republicans allowed the bill to come up for a vote without any poison-pill spending-cut amendments — a strategy proposed by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and other conservatives. Most Senate Republicans backed the compromise, but a majority of House Republicans voted “no,” as many were angered that the compromise lets income tax rates rise on wages and investment profits for households making more than $450,000 a year — the first tax hike passed with broad GOP support in two decades.  [Washington Post]
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2. SANDY HOOK CLASSES RESUMING
The students and teachers of Sandy Hook Elementary are preparing to return to school on Thursday for the first time since a gunman killed 20 first graders and six educators — after, police say, he killed his own mother at home — in a shooting rampage three weeks ago. “I’m nervous about it,” parent David Connors said. “It’s uncharted waters for us. I know it’s going to be difficult.” The classes won’t be at the Newtown, Conn., school where the tragedy occurred, though. The students’ desks and belongings have been moved to a repurposed former middle school in the neighboring town of Monroe. An open house is scheduled for Wednesday so the children, along with their parents and teachers, can get accustomed to new classrooms set up to mirror the ones at Sandy Hook. [Associated Press]
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3. GANG-RAPE VICTIM’S ASHES SCATTERED IN INDIA
Mourners on Tuesday scattered the ashes of a 23-year-old Indian woman who died after being gang-raped and tortured with a metal bar by a group of men on a private bus in New Delhi on Dec. 16. The woman, a student, died of her horrific injuries on Saturday in a Singapore hospital. Police are preparing to file formal charges against six suspects. Protests over rampant sexual violence against women have erupted across India, prompting promises from the government to impose tougher punishments for rapists. As part of a campaign to change society’s treatment of women, India’s top court said Wednesday that it would decide whether tosuspend six lawmakers facing sexual assault charges. [Reuters]
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4. GROUNDED OIL-DRILLING SHIP NOT LEAKING
High seas have prevented rescuers from pulling a grounded oil-drilling rig back to sea in the Gulf of Alaska, but the Coast Guard says there’s no sign that the ship is leaking any of its 143,000 gallons of diesel or 12,000 gallons of lube oil and hydraulic fluid. The Royal Dutch Shell drilling rig — the Kulluk — was used this summer in the Arctic. It ran aground off a small island near Kodiak Island in a severe storm that hit as it was being towed to port. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, said the crisis shows the potential for environmental disaster from Alaskan drilling. “Oil companies keep saying they can conquer the Arctic,” he said, “but the Arctic keeps disagreeing with the oil companies.” [Associated Press]
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5. EUROZONE ECONOMY WEAKENS FURTHER
Manufacturing output in the eurozone continued to shrink in December, according to a poll of manufacturing purchasing managers released by data company Markit on Wednesday. The figures add to a growing pile of evidence that the currency bloc’s “steep downturn” continued in the final quarter of 2012, and will probably continue in early 2013, says Markit’s chief economist, Chris Williamson. “The region’s recession therefore looks likely to have deepened, possibly quite significantly, in the final quarter,” he says. [Wall Street Journal]
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6. EXPERTS SAY ENERGY DRINKS FAIL TO DELIVER
Energy drinks are soaring in popularity, in part because consumers, especially teenagers, are convinced they deliver a mental and physical edge. The beverages are being investigated by the Food and Drug Administration, however, following reports of deaths and injuries possibly linked to their high caffeine content. No matter what the FDA finds, researchers have concluded that popular energy drinks offer little if any benefit other than a jolt of caffeine. “If you had a cup of coffee you are going to affect metabolism in the same way,” says Dr. Robert W. Pettitt, an associate professor at Minnesota State University in Mankato. [New York Times]
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7. PAPARAZZO KILLED BY CAR AFTER CHASING JUSTIN BIEBER
A photographer was struck by a car and killed on Tuesday as he crossed a Los Angeles freeway after snapping pictures of pop star Justin Bieber’s white Ferrari. Highway Patrol officers had pulled over someone driving Bieber’s vehicle, although the teen idol was not in the car. The paparazzo parked his own car and crossed the street to take pictures, and was killed as he tried to return to his car. Bieber, who has been chased by speeding photographers in the past, expressed sympathy for the victim but said he hopes the tragedy inspires laws to prevent potentially dangerous paparazzi feeding frenzies. [CNN]
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8. PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR PLANS TO SUE NCAA OVER SANDUSKY SANCTIONS
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett is expected to file a lawsuit against the NCAA on Wednesday, accusing the college athletic association of imposing illegal sanctions against Pennsylvania State University over the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal. Corbett’s office provided few details about his plan, but said it would provide more information at a Wednesday morning news conference. The National Collegiate Athletic Association hit Penn State with a $60 million fine, a reduction in player scholarships for the football program, and a four-year ban on post-season play after an investigation by former FBI director Louis Freeh concluded that university administrators covered up abuse allegations to protect Sandusky, once an assistant to Penn State’s legendary head coach, the late Joe Paterno. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
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9. AVIS TO BUY ZIPCAR
The Avis Budget Group said on Wednesday that it would buy Zipcar for $500 million. With its $12.25-per-share cash offer, Avis will pay a 49 percent premium over Zipcar’s stock price, a sign that Avis sees a big future for the car-sharing pioneer’s strategy of letting its 760,000 members rent vehicles by the hour or by the day. “We see car sharing as highly complementary to traditional car rental, with rapid growth potential,” Ronald L. Nelson, Avis’ chief executive, said in a statement. [New York Times]
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10. SOME IPHONE USERS GET A LATE START IN 2013
Apple is launching a new ad on Wednesday promoting the iPhone’s “Do Not Disturb” feature, but the company’s timing could have been better. Some iPhone users are complaining that a bug in the function surfaced as 2013 began, causing it to fail to turn off when it was scheduled to, sending their calls to voicemail when their phones should be ringing, and causing some people to miss calls. [Guardian]

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December 7, 2012 · 6:47 PM

Zero Dark Thirty Trailer

- Toure’ from MSNBC’s The Cycle gives a riveting review of the movie Zero Dark Thirty.

- Mercury News‘ Entertainment section places Zero Dark Thirty at number two on their Oscar Power Rankings list:

2) “Zero Dark Thirty“

Opens Dec. 19 in New York and Los Angeles

Getting raves everywhere it’s screening and knocked off a formidable field to win best film from the influential New York Film Critics Circle.

Watch the Official US Trailer – In Theaters 12/19

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September 27, 2012 · 10:15 PM

Nakoula Basseley Nakoula Arrested

Nakoula Basseley Nakoula

An unoccupied Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department patrol car is parked across from the home, background, of Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, the man who made the film “Innocence of Muslims” that has sparked violent protests, in Cerritos, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

I recommend that “free speech advocates” (like myself)  read the entire article before crying foul…

The Huffington Post

A federal judge on Thursday ordered a California man behind a crudely produced anti-Islamic video that inflamed parts of the Middle East to be detained because he is a flight risk.

U.S. Central District Chief Magistrate Judge Suzanne Segal said Nakoula Basseley Nakoula should be held after officials said he violated his probation term for a 2010 check fraud conviction.

A federal prosecutor said Nakoula had eight probation violations, including lying to his probation officers and using aliases.

After his 2010 conviction, Nakoula was sentenced to 21 months in prison and was barred from using computers or the Internet for five years without approval from his probation officer.

A 14-minute trailer for the film “Innocence of Muslims” was posted on YouTube in July, leading to protests around the Middle East. The trailer depicts Muhammad as a womanizer, religious fraud and child molester.

The violence broke out Sept. 11 and has spread since, killing dozens. Nakoula, a Christian originally from Egypt, went into hiding after he was identified as the man behind the trailer.

In court Thursday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Dugdale said Nakoula was flight risk based on a “lengthy pattern of deception.”

“He has every incentive to disappear,” Dugdale said.

Nakoula, 55, was handcuffed and shackled in court.

The full story about Nakoula and the video still isn’t known.

The movie was made last year by a man who called himself Sam Bacile. After the violence erupted, a man who identified himself as Bacile called media outlets including The Associated Press, took credit for the film and said it was meant to portray the truth about Muhammad and Islam, which he called a cancer.

The next day, the AP determined there was no Bacile and linked the identity to Nakoula, a former gas station owner with a drug conviction and a history of using aliases. Federal authorities later confirmed there was no Bacile and that Nakoula was behind the movie.

Before going into hiding, Nakoula acknowledged to the AP he was involved with the film, but said he only worked on logistics and management.

A film permit listed Media for Christ, a Los Angeles-area charity run by other Egyptian Christians, as the production company. Most of the film was made at the charity’s headquarters. Steve Klein, an insurance agent in Hemet and outspoken Muslim critic, has said he was a consultant and promoter for the film.

The trailer still can be found on YouTube. The Obama administration asked Google, YouTube’s parent, to take down the video. But the company has refused, saying it did not violate its content standards.

Meanwhile, a number of actors and workers on the film have come forward to say they were tricked. They say they were hired for a film titled “Desert Warrior” and there was no mention of Islam or Muhammad in the script. Those references were dubbed in after filming was completed.

Actress Cindy Lee Garcia has sued to get the trailer taken down, saying she was duped.

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March 2, 2012 · 7:48 AM

Friday Blog Round Up

Sheriff Claims Obama Birth Certificate Forged

Did Obama say everyone should go to college?

Romney’s and Obama’s tax plans, in one chart

Olympia Snowe: Why I’m Leaving The Senate

Gas prices are no silver bullet for GOP

Fox Attacks On Obama Ignore Bush Apology For Quran Desecration

The Funniest Rick Santorum Photo You’ll See Today

Andrew Breitbart Dead At 43

Newt’s Undead Campaign Is Helping Romney?

Romney Pants On Fire

Limbaugh: Make Sex Videos, You Slut

Herman Cain Watches Girl Torture Goldfish From Mountaintop

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November 26, 2011 · 1:41 PM

Walmart: Black Friday Went Great… Except For The Pepper Spray Stuff

What???

TPM Muckraker

If you’re looking for bad news on this Black Friday, you’re probably Googling “Walmart.” The massive discount retailer has been the scene of injuries, arrests, pepper-spraying and general pandemonium at locations across the country today.

Asked about the stories of fights over sale items and arrests, Walmart touted its pre-planning for the biggest shopping day of the year, though acknowledged the chain is “always learning” about how to deal with the crowds that pack its stores.

“I would just tell you that the plans we have in place were developed with nationally recognized crowd experts and really were the first of their kind,” company spokesperson Greg Rossiter told TPM Friday. “Having said that, we always look at the way we run our stores.”

Those plans Walmart used this year were drawn up following much darker incidents than the ones that have marred the day at some locations of the massive retailer. In 2008, a store employee was trampled to death as a crowd surged into a New York Walmart to snatch up deeply discounted merchandise in the ritual that kicks off the holiday shopping season. A lawyer for the family of the dead man chided Walmart for not providing the employee with crowd control experience.

Continue here…

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